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Feast of the Moon
The Feast of the Moon, or Moonfest, was an annual festival in the Calendar of Harptos, occurring between the final night of Uktar and the first day of Nightal. It was the last great festival of the calendar year. The day traditionally marked the onset of winter. It was also a time to celebrate and honor the ancestors and the respected dead. On this day, folk blessed their ancestors' graves and performed the Ritual of Remembrance. People also gathered to tell stories of the deeds of their ancestors and of the gods until deep into the night, until they merged and became legend. This was a time to hear of past heroes, great treasures, and lost cities. In Faerûn, battles were typically fought between harvest-time and the coming of winter. This meant that most of the fighting usually occurred in the month of Uktar. The timing of the Feast of the Moon—after recently slain soldiers had joined the ranks of the dead—was thus practical, if sadly ironic. The Heralds of Faerûn had a number of special duties on the Feast of the Moon. Prime among these was to perform the Bloodsong ceremony, at which a Herald publicly recited the genealogies of each noble family in the area. In this way, the Heralds reaffirmed a noble family's traditional authority and status, as well as the respect accorded to them. Priests of a number of deities of various pantheons held rites, ceremonies, and festivals on the Feast of the Moon. Many, though not all, focused on remembering the dead in one way or another. On This Day *Worshipers of the halfling deity Arvoreen perform the Ceremony of Remembrance to honor those who died defending their community. *Priests of Bhaal recount tales of heroic slayings. *Guardians of Gorm Gulthyn gather for ritual salutes, martial weapons displays, chanted prayers, and the offering of weapons used in a defensive action. *Worshipers of the dwarven deity Haela Brightaxe call this day the Commemoration of the Fallen and is spent recounting the battles and deeds of those who died defending the Stout Folk and dedicating new weapons and armor to their memory. *Priests of Kelemvor tell the Deeds of the Dead to preserve their memory. *Worshipers of Lliira open a holy festival with the Swords Cast Down ritual in which weapons are thrown on the ground with chanting and covered with fresh flowers. *Worshipers of Lurue observe a quiet ceremony ushering in winter and remembering the dead. It is the anniversary of the founding of Silverymoon and is celebrated by the unveiling of works of art and song. *Followers of Marthammor Duin call this day the Beacon and celebrate the path shown them by Finder-of-Trails. *This day is known as the Day the Dead are Most With Us by worshipers of Myrkul. They believed the essence of the dead would roam Toril as ghosts. *This day is known as the Feast of the Silver Coin to worshipers of Nephthys and is a time of tithing. *Worshipers of Savras the All-Seeing call this day the Vision and spend 24 hours meditating in a steam bath or a haze of incense. *Worshipers of Sehanine Moonbow gather this night for the Mystic Rites of the Luminous Cloud and are often transformed into scintillating streaks of light that fly across the starry heavens. *Worshipers of Shar call this day the Rising of the Dark and plot their nefarious deeds for the next year after a live sacrifice. *Worshipers of Shiallia invite friendly creatures to join in feasting, dancing, and singing. *Worshipers of Talos call for storms and lightning. *Worshipers of Tempus honor the dead. *Worshipers of the orc deity Luthic know this day as the Coming of the Winter Cave, a festival in which many young are conceived. * Heralds perform the Bloodsong, reciting the genealogies of noble families and reaffirming their traditional authority and status. * Menzoberranzan holds the Ceremony of Graduation for graduating students from Tier Breche. Visitors are barred from entering the city and conflict between houses is absolutely forbidden, as is any and all trade. Houses with graduating students are expected to celebrate by hosting feasts. * In 275 DR, the holy sword Dornavver was enchanted at Allyn's Anvil. * In 449 DR, King of Tethyr Silvyr Ithal was slain by treachery in single combat with Emperor Amahl Shoon VII in Shoonach. The source incorrectly puts this event in 450 DR. The invasion of Shoonach took place in the winter of 449 DR and Silvyr's son Strohm avenged his father's death by killing Amahl Shoon VII on Midwinter of the following year. *In 711 DR, the Weeping War began between the Army of Darkness and the Akh'Velahr of Cormanthor. *In 1372 DR, the Deep Imaskari broke the Great Seal which had kept them isolated from the rest of Toril for millennia, and tentatively began exploring with secret agents. *In 1372 DR, the Citadel of Black Ash in the eastern Smoking Mountains was covered by lava when normally dormant volcanoes erupted. *In 1374 DR, Esvele Greycastle brought together the Church of Shar, the Zhentarim, and the Lolthites of House Dhuurniv in an unholy alliance with an eye toward the subjugation of Shadowdale. *In 1374 DR, a large gathering of spellcasting elites joined in the raising of the Hidden City of Hope out of the swamps of the High Moor. Among the notables were five Chosen of Mystra including Khelben "Blackstaff" Arunsun who gave his life to make the High magic ritual permanent. Appendix Notes See Also * Greengrass * Highharvestide * Midwinter * Midsummer * Shieldmeet * Spring Equinox * Autumn Equinox * Summer Solstice * Winter Solstice References Category:Chronology Category:Festivals Category:Holidays